The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-07
sILveRs' STUMBLE.
A Car Painters Weakness for Pe.
male Wearing Apparel.
Rsbbsry ola Young Lady's Trunk
at Stevenson, Ala, By Painter
OF Railroad Buildings.

An important arrest was made yeo-
terdsy forenoon by Detective Byrne,
of the Southern Express Company,
and Capt. Hsckett, Of the police force,
which unravels q mysterious robbery
Of q lsdy's trunk In the office Of the
company at Stevenson, Ala, on the
Charleston railroad, In the latter part
Of JAY last. A young lady, whose
name 10 withheld ON account OF her
high social standing and reluctance to
be mentioned In such nntc.ion, who
lives near the town oil Stevenson, had
been stiendinga Virginia seminary.
Early In July she had expressed her
trunk to Stevenson, but herself
stopped at some intermediate point TO
paya visit for several weeks. The
trunk WAS forwarded to its des ination
promptly, and was held there until
the arrival OF It's owner, who, taking
her own leisure, arrived some two
weeks later. With her other bag.
gage che ordered the long
delayed trunk sent 10 her home. Ga
lifting IL from Its place, the porter was
astonished ct Its lightness, and raising
II higher was sstonished to see that II
had no bottom In II; or, rather, the
bottom had been cut out and loosely
replaced. The sgsnt at the depot,
who acted In the double capacity OF
railroad and express agent, was dumb
founded and no little distressed that q
package In his custody should have
been ransaoked OF Its contents. The
young lady was very much discounted,
Tor In the trunk were several OF her
finest dreesls and other articles which
shs priced dearly. There was not
vesiige Of them left. The agent, to
say the least Of II, IVES "all broken up"
over the affair, and with promises to
the young lady that the value OF every
article should be made good, she took
her immediate baggage and left. He
at once communicated the robbery 10
bis superintendent, and Detective
Byrne was placed on the case.
Alter the closest inquiry, the detect
i've and agent, who was never
In the least suspected, con-
Guided that the robbery could
not have been committed by anyone
who did not have free access to the
office, for the express seal was intact.
At the time tho trunk was received,
q. Il. Silver, q painter, about thirty
three years old, was Ia the employ OF
the Charleston road aud had betn
sent 10 Stevenson 10 repaint the rail-
road tfIics and other depot buildings.
He had the freeht access 10 the Offices,
was an industrious employe, and
worked early and late. Byrne at once
settled on Silver as the perpetrator Of
this larceny. Ia the meantime the
management Of the road had sent the
painter elsewhere, aud q short time
ago he was ordered back 10 this city to
do work. The fret. and what proved
to be rather difficult undertaking,
was TO find out bis plfcs of lodging.
Day before yesterday Byrne and the
vigilsnt Hsckett located their within
at RinRwald's grocery and boarding
house, No. 81 Charleston avenue.
Early yesterday morning Capt.
Hackett went there and found
Silver, the man wan cd. Rngxsld, at
fret, fooliehly objected to bis ten.
ants room being searched. but the
authoritative warrant was shown. and
Rlpgwald was at once humbly meek
The search OF silver's trunk revealed
the Lost dresses and other apparel 40
described almost entire. The only
articlee missing were q jswelry case,
containing ono or two Invaluable
piecee OF jswelry, an album and a
novel or two. There were several
napkins and towels In the trunk, from
which the name Of the owner had
been blurrinely erased, but all Of
them, along with the dresses, tailed
idtntically with the description fur.
nished by the young lady. When
confronted with the theft, Silver re-
piled that "shey were his eirl's." The
next question was m 10 whether he was
married or had q daughter, 10 which he
frankly replied In the negative, bat
admitted that there was q certain
young lady llvirg In one Of the
suburbs Of Memphis 30 whom hs was
shortly 10 be married, and that the
articles belonged TO her. TheawkwArd
explanation was self confession, and
when pressed ~ 81 the Whereabouts
of the jewolry case, books, etc. he &C
knowledged that his alleged sfii mcs
had them For reasons best Known
10 the officers her name Ia withheld
Letters found In the prisoners trunk
showed that he came from Chicago
or rather that he has sister Twins
there. O,her documents showed thsl
he had been machine agent, q c,rt
doctor and pitent medicine vsnder
He protested HE Innocence, but the
officers unins sure Of their man, u ~
henitatiugly placed him urder ares
and lodged hin In Jail. HIS prelimi'
nary hearing comes up this morning
and uDle be establishes an Alibl b,
will DO held for oommittsl to the ste
venson suthohties on the charge oI
grand larceny, the value Of the eto'er
articles btiug placed M $3.50. Thu
charge against him at the station
house lie bringing stolen property Int